Keep the Flow

As creatives, freedom is essential—but without discipline, freedom can lead to aimlessness. In this episode, I break down 5 ways to be your own boss and integrate structure into your creative pursuits without losing joy.

When you master discipline, your creative career becomes an unstoppable force. 🚀

Get your copy of Necessarily Creative - A Blueprint for a Creative Life: https://book.scottmclemore.com

You might also like my newsletter called The Interval which is a weekly run-down of inspiration and updates.

Join here: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

If you'd like to get early access to podcast episodes as well as bonus material (like a free download of my eBook)...

become one of my Patreon peeps: 

https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

😎 ABOUT ME:

Hi. I'm Scott McLemore, a drummer and composer living way up north in Iceland. I make Keep the Flow every week that look under the hood of the creative process to keep our creative engines humming.

You can listen to my music here: https://scottmclemore.bandcamp.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, it's a bit of an announcement. In this episode I unveil my first eBook, Necessarily Creative - A Blueprint for a Creative Life.

https://book.scottmclemore.com

The episode gets into some of the same subject matter but it's more inspired by the book and not really a summary or presentation of the material.

Thanks to Med Badr Chemmaoui for the awesome picture in the episode art.

You might like my newsletter called The Interval which is a weekly run-down of inspiration and updates.

Join here: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

If you'd like to get early access to podcast episodes as well as bonus material (like a free download of my eBook)...

become one of my Patreon peeps: https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First of all, I'm ok. It's funny how when I post episodes about negative issues we deal with, people assume I'm going through something. I always have a few people who reach out to make sure I'm ok.

I'm fine.

However, I'm not always fine. None of us are. That's where creativity can actually help. But it's easy to forget that.

In this episode I run through 4 factors to keep in mind that can help us stay creative when the going gets tough.

And, as I mentioned in the episode, here's a link to Sunna's new project of music to Icelandic poetry: https://sunnagunnlaugs.bandcamp.com/album/stin-bjarts-nin-og-andskotans-bla-ri-f-lkinu

I also have a free newsletter called The Interval which is a weekly rundown of inspiration and updates directly to your inbox.

https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creativity is why I started Keep the Flow and launched this YouTube channel. How many subscribers I have, or don't have shouldn't have an influence on what I create, but it's hard not to notice when we have a video that performs well.

This week I go over my workflow, how I stay consistent, my struggles and potential perks to having a YouTube channel.

As a creator, I'm trying to make sense of why my video "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" did better than usual. Should I even be trying to analyze the success or just smile and get back to work?

https://youtu.be/hjeYYDlCF8g

😎 ABOUT ME:

Hi. I'm Scott McLemore, a drummer and composer living way up north in Iceland. I make Keep the Flow every week that look under the hood of the creative process to keep our creative engines humming.

You can listen to my music here: https://scottmclemore.bandcamp.com

And follow me for FREE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

🎙️ ALL THE GEAR:

Audio:

Røde Podmic USB: https://amzn.to/44TtDJr

Focusrite Vocaster 2: https://amzn.to/3WRla7H

Hollyland Lark M2: https://amzn.to/3Sl1ia3

Lighting:

Amran P60x: https://amzn.to/4dUfekg

Weeylite S05: https://amzn.to/3RnnzUb

Video:

iPhone 13 Pro: https://amzn.to/47kJi5J

📓 Research:

Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu

Blinkist: https://blinkist.scottmclemore.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join my free weekly email The Interval for a rundown of inspiration and updates: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

When we get so close to our creative work, we can lose perspective. It’s good to have someone who can take an unbiased look at your work. Sometimes we miss things that seem obvious to others. We all make mistakes. Allowing someone you trust to give you constructive criticism shouldn’t mean less confidence for you, just that you’re human.

The patron who helped show me the light was Anika Lacerte who make beautiful print work. Check out her designs here: http://thehandcraftedstory.com/

And follow me for FREE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up for my FREE weekly email The Interval for inspiration and updates: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

By becoming more intentional with something we do naturally, it can change the way we look at the world and how we create.

In this episode I take examples from Prince covering Radiohead, Steve Martin's book Born Standing Up and Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

BOOKS:

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon https://amzn.to/3WJwnVX

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin https://amzn.to/3AyJXEr

ABOUT ME:

Hi. I'm Scott McLemore, a drummer and composer living way up north in Iceland. I make Keep the Flow every week that look under the hood of the creative process to keep our creative engines humming.

You can listen to my music here: https://scottmclemore.bandcamp.com

Become a part of my family of patrons for FREE: https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We can sometimes get into endless debates with ourselves about the next step in our creative process. My own overthinking is usually based in fear or perfectionism and leads directly to inaction.

This week on Keep the Flow I get into how all creatives could learn a lot from improvisers and athletes. Learning to make decisions on the fly can get us over the hurdles we set up for ourselves.

Follow me on Patreon for free:

https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Watch this episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/h-Sz11ZJb7I

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join my weekly email The Interval where I share what's inspiring me and what I'm up to: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

If you feel like you’ve been hovering around the same place in your creativity for longer than you would like; if you feel like your creative career has plateaued, this one’s for you.

This week on Keep the Flow we look at the idea of What Got You Here Won't Get You There as applied to creatives.

At the intersection of creativity and productivity, when we start to think of our creativity as a business sometimes what we ascribe to our success that has brought us to this point is maybe the wrong approach now or just not enough to get us to the next level in our careers.

If you feel open to talking about what 3 actions you think you should take to get out of the roundabout, please leave me a comment over on the YouTube version:

https://youtu.be/hjeYYDlCF8g

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Keep the Flow is hosted by Scott McLemore, a drummer and composer living way up north in Iceland. It looks under the hood of the creative process in order to keep our creative engines humming.

Join my growing community on Patreon for early access to podcast episodes and bonus material. https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Books mentioned:

What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith:

https://amzn.to/3WBayrT

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport:

https://amzn.to/3LZgbLf

The music of Icelandic pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs:

https://sunnagunnlaugs.bandcamp.com/album/becoming

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when we change our perspective, when we flip the subject upside down, when we entertain the notion that things could be different?

This week on Keep the Flow we look at how artists and creators can flip the script on themselves and enrich their work and their authenticity.

How do you think about authenticity?

Please leave me a comment on the YouTube version:

https://youtu.be/J1oDHvrjlgo

Want to join my growing community of patrons? Right this way:

https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re putting off creating because of something you think you need to do or buy first, this one’s for you. 

This week on Keep the Flow I'm tackling the pitfall of putting off our creative pursuits because somehow we feel like the conditions are not ideal.

I'm using myself as an example since I'm away from home and trying to keep up with the podcast and YouTube channel while still being "on vacation" and spending time with my family. It's tricky, but I think I found a happy medium.

Please leave me a comment on the YouTube version:

https://youtu.be/elTGi7mRoq0

If you'd like to join the growing family of Patrons, right this way:

https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Deals:

Free Trail on Riverside.fm: https://riverside.scottmclemore.com

70% OFF Blinkist: https://blinkist.scottmclemore.com

About me:

Patreon: https://patreon.com/scottmclemore

Music: https://scottmclemore.bandcamp.com

Newsletter - The Interval: https://subscribe.scottmclemore.com

All the gear:

Audio:

Røde Podmic USB: https://amzn.to/44TtDJr

Focusrite Vocaster 2: https://amzn.to/3WRla7H

Hollyland Lark M2: https://amzn.to/3Sl1ia3

Lighting:

Amran P60x: https://amzn.to/4dUfekg

Weeylite S05: https://amzn.to/3RnnzUb

Video:

iPhone 12 mini: https://amzn.to/3KiFYgE

Research:

Audible: https://amzn.to/3ulKRBu

Blinkist: https://blinkist.scottmclemore.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.